The Sun. — London, England, 1809-08-01 00:00:00

very day on ivhieb Tars ChargeA. of duty; it will be found bY this. _honour Court, that in the previous arrangement I exerted the utmost faculties of My Mind to prevent any circumstance escaping me which forethought could dittate ; and that at the time of attack I aeled with all the zeal for the success of the service, an Officer could evince, whose duty it was to.consider the propel application and preservation of his own fleet, as well as the de struetion of that of the enemy. " The squadron under my command, including the advanced frigates, having been driven from their stations off Brest, by the continued prevalence of tempestuous westerly winds, it was on ..my return off that port, on the 23d of February, that I ascer tained the escape of the French fleet ; I had no in formation of the time when the enemy escaped from their - port, or of the course they had taken ; conse quently had no grounds upon which I could exer cise any discretion._ This reduced me the unavoid able necessity of following my orders, which in such an event distinCtiy direL'ted me to detach the senior Flag Officer, with such force as I might conclude Was equal to the enemy ; and to return myself to Ca wsand Bay for further orders. I accordingly tacked Sir John Duckworth, with eight sail of the line and a frigate, in pursuit of the .French fleet, . 'the course pointed out in their Lordships' orders be fore referred to, which left me with the Caledonia alone, in the mortifying situation of being obliged to return to port. I refer back to this event, in order to shew why the Caledonia, bearing my flag, became detached from the fleet. In proceeding to Cawsantl Bay, the Naiad joined, me off Falmouth, when Capt. Dundas inf orm ed me , thatithe enemy's fleet from Brest, conseding of eight sail of the. line and two frigates, had entered Basque Roads, on the 24th of February, where they had been reinforced by the four sail of the line and tw o f r i g at es , previously lying in the Ai, Roads. This communicatien being made • to the Admiralty, I received orders from their Lord, ships,•oilthe 3d of March, to put to ,sea with the Caledonia, Tonnant, Illustrious, Resolution, and Bellona, together with -.any frigates- amid smaller vessels under my command, that . might be ready for sea at Plymouth, to form a junction witti Rear- Admiral Stoptord, commanding his Majesty's squa dron Off Rochefort, On my arrival off Rochefort on the nth cf March, I found that Rear-Admiral Stopford, with the CasHiar, Defiance, Donegal, and four frigates, had in the course of the 24th o f Fe bruary, b e en joined by Captain Beresford, with the Theseus, Triumph, Valiant, Revenge, and one fri gate, and shortly after by the Hero ; and that the French fleet had moved from Basque into Aix Roads, and taken anchorage there with t i sail of the line and four frigates. In consequence of the intricacy- - of the navigation, one of their ships was totaily wrecked. Judging that the occupation of Basque koads by the fleet under my command would be Most effectual, either for blockading the enemy, or for carrying on offensive operations, should they prove practicable ; I immediately .ordered some of the Masters of - the fleet to proceed in, and to take every- advantage of weather, in sounding and sur veying the anchorage, in order to ascertain the part most advisable to be occupied by a fleet of the magni tude of that under my orders. Cvi F are under the necessity, from want of' room, of postpon. ing the remainder of this defence until to morrow.] 4 1 r. EDWARD FAIRFAX was called and sworn. Were you employed sounding or surveying, in Basque Roads and towards Aix Roads, previous to the 12th of April ?—A. Yes, and reconnoitering the position of the enemy. State the general service on which you were em ployed. --I was mostly employed on the Long Sand, and found that it extended full three quarters of a inile to the eastward and northward from where laid down. I will state to the Court all its bearings (de- Scribed to the Court), and much shallower water thin last laid down iu the Charts and Neptune Fran- Q. Was. the space for anchorage for large ships !zilch confined in Aix Roads ?—A. The space is finch confined; I have not sounded myself; I will slate to the Court how I ascertained the space is tnuch confined, and likewise the position ; the Whole space they occupy in length of line is three gnarters of a mile; this report was given by Sir H. Neale to Lord Gambier; the enemy's fleet, the last time reconnoitred, were about south and by west, by ' c ompass, from the citadel in Aix Island. Q. Is the navigation of Aix roads difficult for large ships, as far as you know ?—A. Very much so. , Q. What is the rise and fall of the tide I znould suppose from eighteen to twenty feet, the log ° I the Caledonia will prove this fie - t. Q. Do y ou k now o f L or d C oc h rane 's making any ' e D°rt to me o f t h e pos i t i on o f the enemy's fleet, h,. ' e vieus to the 11th o f A pr il, i n conseque nc e o f hi s gs reconnoitred th em Most certainly I °, they were plac e d near l y . north e:ist, and - nest west, by compass, to the best of my recollec tion, the day before the attack. Q. Did you ktiow, previous to the 12th of April, Of aiiy anchorage aboOt the Boy art Shoal, near the .Pallas Shoal, for line-of-battle ships, without the range of the enemy's shot ?—A. I did not, nor have I -acquired knowledge of it since. Q. What distance was the British fleet from that of the enemy, When it at first anchored at Basque I l o ads ?—A. The Caled on i a , f rom t h e c i ta d e l o f I s l e tl Aix, was distance)i 1,900 yards, near six nautical Ibil es. by admeasurement of angles, whi c h I t oo k ft "' the purpose. or CI A • Where were you on th e morn i ng o f the th Pril ?—A. On board the Ly ra . Cl• Where was the Lyra at that time ?—A. The Y Were worki ng ou t f rom I s l e d ' Aix towards toe fleet. Q. Were the enemy's ships that were aground J Ying so close together, that the yards of two of them were locked together ?—A. I think not. Q. Had any ships gone in on the morning of the 12th of April, to attack the enemy's ships, at what time was it possible for them to return 2—A. They could not have shifted their situation before the wa ter would have shoaled so much, that they would have grounded. Q. Had you an opportunity of observing the strength of the curr ent o f the tide in harbour of the Isle D'Aix ?—A. No. Q. Was it such, as far as you did observe it, as would admit of a fast-sailing ship working over it, and beating out against the flood, as the,wind was on the 12th of April ?.. 7 .A. By report, I should gitie thai do 4.14 ter could, by whatl have heard from Pilots; Y. titer the narrowness of the Chnnel. ta: If then, 'a part of the Peet had gone into the road of Aix, when the Imperieuse made the first sig nal in the morning, Must it have remained within three-quarters of a mile of those batteries, till the ebb made in the afternoon ?—A. They might have shift ed by the flood, but then they would have got in a worse situation. Q. Were you in the Road of Aix, after the Bri tish ships were placed for the purpose of attacking the enemy ?—A. I was not. Q. You have said that three of the enemy's ships were in a line, were your afterwards in any situation that enabled vou to tell they were not near each other ?-11: N o ; it was prior that I distinguished them separate. Q. Can you at all determ►ne how far they were asunder ?—A. I should think not a ship's length from each other, those three. Q. Were you on board the Caledonia when the fleet was at single anchor ?—A. I was on board the Lyra. Q. Were you on board the Caledonia when they weighed ?—A. I was. Q. At what hour did the fleet weigh to approach the Isle of Aix ?—A. About nine or ten o'clock; and came again to anchor about half an hour after wards. Q. After anchoring again, what was the distance of the. Caledonia from the fort on the Isle d'Aix ? A. Cross bearings gave it about three miles and a half, from thence to three miles. Mr. STOKES called. Q Where were you in the forenoon of'the 12th of April last ?—A. I was on board the Caledonia., State how the wind was on that day, and the time of high water.—From day-light in the morning, till twelve o'clock, N. N. West, from ten to twelve N. N. W. and N. N. E. from twelve to three in the afternoon, from N.N.E. tO N.N.W. the wind va ryipg. Q. Could any of the enemy's ships, on the 12. th of April., before they ran op the Charente, have annnwed, and reached any of the ships that might have been sent in to attack them ?—A. The Fou drovant and Cassard both lay afloat ; the Cassard about a third of a mile distant from the Isle of Aix, and close on the edge of the bank that extends from the Isle d'Aix, to the N. \V. Point of the Pal las Shoal, the Foudrovant also lay close to that bank, and, I suppose, abOut three cables distant from the Cassard ; the three-deckers lay with their broad sides flanking the passage, and would have fired with complete effect on any ships that might ap proach. Q. After the enemy's ships had run up the Cha rente, could they have been approached by any of the British ships ?—A. No. Q' Is the navigation of Aix Roads difficult for large ships, and much limited in space ?—A. Very difficult for large ships, deep water very much li 7 mited. Q. Then the space for anchorage must be very much confined, and water around it shoal ? A. Yes. Q. Were . you employed sounding and surveying within the Isle of Aix ?—.A. I was, from the 17th to the 24th of April. Q. Did the general knowledge you obtained, while so employed by my orders, agree with the Chart, or Neptune FranCois, of that part ?—A. In some parts it agreed, in other parts, I have found a wide difference ; the Neptune Francois gave more water than I found in many places. Q. Did' you sound between the Boyart Shoal and the Pallas Shoal ) —A. I passed between them three or four times; I took soundings at those times. Q. Is the account that you gave of 16 and 12 feet water, at low water, between these two shoals, derived from the information of your own sound ings ?—A. Not entirely from my own soundings, but from the soundings taken by the master of the Dotterell, whom I sent for that purpose, who re ported, in writing, to me those soundings. Q. Had you any opportunity of ascertaining what is the rise of the tide in Aix roads, Or the vicinity of Aix roads, at spring tides ?—A. The lead was hove, and the depth of Water carefully ascertained every half-hour on. board the Caledonia, until her depar ture from Basque Roads, whereby we ascertained beyond all manner of doubt, that the a&ual rise of water in Basque roads was nineteen feet in spring tides, and eight feet im dead neaps. Q. If the rise of the tide is nineteen feet in Basque Roads, must the rise be greater or less in Aix roads ?—A. The rise of the tide found in Aix roads is twenty-one feet at high spring tides, which is more than we ever found it rise in Basque roads. Q. Could the three French ships which were aground. on the sand, and afterwards warped off, and run upon the Charente, ever have been attacked by line-of-battle ships ?—A. No; they never could have come near enough for the shot to reach. Q. Could any more of the enemy's ships have been destroyed, bad any of the King's ships been sent to attack them at day-light on the 12th of April ?—A. If we had attacked the enemy's ships on the morning of the 12th, in the position of the Foudroyant, and the three-decked _ships, I think we should have sacrificed our own ships, without making any impression on the enemy; the only time that they could have been attacked, with any prospe& of success, was at the time the attack was made. The tide had i hen ebbed, and the ships were fist on the ground,. with their sterns to the westward, and they could not bring any guns to bear on the attacking ships ; and under that circum stance, in my opinion, we owed our whole success ; for had the French ships grounded with their broad sides, in flanking the p,issage, they would have been able to have defended themselves, and could not have been attacked. Q. As . you were employed some time -in the In ner road of Aix, you had an opportunity of ascer taining the strength of the current of the tide in the Road of Aix ?—A. I had. Q. Was it so strong as to prevent fast-sailing ships from working over it and beating out against the flood ?—A. Th e fl oo d- t id e and the springs run at least ,three knots an hour, so that it is impossible that any ship can work against the tide. Q. Then, ships going in at the end of the ebb, must necessarily remain during the whole of the flood ?—A. They must. 0.• You have said, that it any ships of ti4e . . • into . c,no gone Roads o n the morning of 12th Aprile they coned not possibly have got out • again that day ?—A. They could not. Q. Is that athopinien you have forthed since yria left Basque Roads, or was it your opinion on the 12th of April ?—A. It was my opinion on the morning of the t2th, and I have never had any reason what ever to alter it. Q. Were you consulted on the praClitability of going in and out of the Road of Aix, on the 12th of April ?—A. I was not particularly consulted; but Sir Harry Neale, on the morning of the 12th, seeing the enemy's ships on shore, asked me what I thought (or words to that effeEt) could be done, ip taking the line-of-battleships into attack the ene ?—A. 1 told him, perhaps we might destroy some of their ships, but that we should sacrifice our own, having no idea whatever of any of the ships being able to return. . Q. Are you quite clear that you gave that opi nion to Sir H. Neale, on the morning of the 12th of April Yes, Q. I- think you have said that you had no knoW ledge whatever of the anchorage within the Isle of Aix, where ships of the line may ride in five fathoms water, till after the 12th of April ?—A. I had no knowledge of that anchorage until after the 12th. Q. It you had known of that anchorage before I the 12th of April, would the tide have admitted ships oi the line to have gone to iron the 'morning of that day?--A. The tide would not have admitted the ships of the line to have gone to that ancliorage,'un til twelve or one o'clock on that day. • Q. Were you on board the Caledonia on the af ternoon of the It th of April ?—A. Yes. Q. Do you know the cause of the fleet 'being moored that afternoon ?-a.a.A. I mentioned - tb Cap tain Bedford, about-seven in the evening, the neces sity of mooring the fleet; that they"might not swing on board of.eachother during theiveather-tide e he mentioned it . to Lord Gambier, Kid the fleet was moored. To unmoor was solely the business of half an hour. Q. Had three or four line of battle ships been advanced towards the. Isle of Aix, and laid . during the night at single. anchor, could they, by weigh- Mg when Lord Cochrane made the signal, about five in the morning, at that time of tide, have gone into the road of Aix,. without the greatest danger, to have attacked • any part of the enemy ?--A. Had four sail of the line gone into Aix roads, when Lord Cochrane made the signal, theyeavOeld there have met a force equal to themselves ; they would have made an attack. under every disadvantage ; the fire of Isle d'Aix, as well as . the fire of the Fou droyant, the Cassard, and Ocean, Would have been directed on them,- they had no place to retreat to, and their, only safety, remained in the destruction of the enemy's 'ships, and in _silencing the batteries . from the Isle d'Aix, which I am sure it would have 'been impossible for them, to accomplish. Q. Did you know any thing of the Calcutta striking ?—A. Yes ; she bad not struck when was on board the Imperieuse ; and the Aigle, Uni corn, and Emerald, had 'anchored and fired on her ; one of her shot struck a boat astern oth the Impe rieuse after they had anchored and fired; the Ode , fatigable had not anchored when I left the Impe. Q. Were the ships and vessels sent in to attack the enemy as soon as it could have been done with propriety, considering the state of the wind and tide ?—A. They were, in my opinion. Q. From the - first attack made on the enemy's ships, to the final cessation of hostilities against them, was every thing done that could be done to effea their destrution ?—A. Every thing was done that could be done to effe6t the destrualion of the enemy's ships. Captain &ICH called in and sworn. Q. Do you recollea the situation of the enemy's fleet, on the morning of the 12th of April, at days light ?—A. I do; I think it was represented in the chart of Mr. Stokes, now before the Court. Q. Do you recollect the telegraph signal being made from the Imperieuse, on the morning of that day ?—A. I do. Q. What was that signal ?—A. I think that half 'the fleet could destroy the enemy's ships. Q. At what distance was the Imperieuse from the enemy, and from the Caledonia, when they made that signal •—A. The Caledonia was about six miles from Isle d'Aix, and the Imperieuse about half way, about three miles. Q. Had I sent in line of battle ships that day to . Aix Roads, early in the morning, or soon after, were any of the enemy's ships in a situation to have enabled them to rake or annoy our ships as they ad vanced ?—A. Two of them were lying with their broadsides towards the entrance, and would have considerably annoyed any ships sent against them. Q. Were any of the enemy's ships that were aground capable of annoying our ships ?—A. Early in the morning they lay with their broadsides to wards the entrance, and I think they were capable of annoying the ships. .Q. What number of guns were there on the bat teries of Aix Island ?—.A. When at anchor in Aix Proads, I counted 50; there might have been more ; but I arn certain there were not less. Q. Did the enemy throw shells. from the Island —A. They did. Q. Can you speak at all ofthe number of mortars they had ?--A. No, "cannot. 'Qe If any of our line of battle ships, adVanCing under the circumstances just -.stated, • had become crippled, could they have returned that day before night ; or what would have been theconseqtrences ? —A. I do not think, under all the circumstances, that if the line of battle ships had been sent in, they ever would have returned; I think it would have been sending them to irretrievable destruEtion. Q. When I sent you into Aix Roads, what were the orders, in the afternoon- of the Jed), I gave you ? were they discretionary or not ) —A. To use my ut most endeavours to destroy the enemy's ships; 1 considered them discretionary., in the same measure, as the sole responsibility rested on the Captain ; the pilot having refused to take the ship in. • - Q. Do you recolle6t what time I gave you the or ders ?—A. The first order I received from the Corn- - minder in Chief, was at eight o'clock in the morn-• ing, to anchor near the Boyars Shoal, and within the range of shell of the Isle d'Aix. The second order I received v‘ as at two o'clock-in the afternoon, , to proceed in. Relate to the Court your proceeding in Aix Roads, until your return to Basque Roadss—About tWO I CV - Z.71,3411:d aii't.Lor; I Went in; fl con - ,tnei7 v t the Revenge; to the aW'cic of the enerny' s ..;s.ilip;s , i i oar Itigatea Wer e lying close liatf;abbet 6113 by W. to S. and . by E. rather A curved chored to the sOuthward of them; close the tridce . , fatigable, and a little after three we corimenced Ces fire. on the Calcutta, when shortly after . I Observ'eel her crew abandoning her, leaving her cOlotirS 11Y We therfidireaed our fire to the Aquilon; Ville . i.te- Varsovie, and Tonn e r e , a s we could get our broad-i side to bear on them. The Ville de Varsovie crew partly left her, and I think she was take; pbs 2,, session of by the Unicorn's boat. The Aquiliiii the only ship that struck her colours, and the Ton , nere, at five o'clock, was left by her crew, wko set her on fire. AS the tide fell; the Revenge gretind ed ; but by the exertions of Captain Kerr she Wei': soon get off; and went between the Boyart and las ; the frigates all followed her, except the Irripe rieuse, which ship grounded; at six that evening,. in mooring th e V a li a n t, s h e grounded on a shoal, rim?: remained until eleven o'elock that night; the tide; 'rose and she got off. At lee/ Water, there Were 17 feet water alongside her.. There were feLir tire ships prepared by order of the Commander in Cli!ef„ and sent in afterwards ; two to have gone aghast the Foudroyant, under the orders of Capt. Beyriimir, and two against the Ocean, a three-decked ship; it was half -past eleven o'clock before they were coMpletely, ready, when the wind being baffling, and at tithes blowing directly out, I applied to Admiral Stopford for some gun-brigs to roger the retreat of our boat the enemy's boats being moored in two lines across the stern of - the Ocean; with boats in advanCe. As the wind Blifitinued to . blow direffly out until' four o'clock in CA - morning ; I judged theattempt 'to be impraelicable, and therefore ordered the file-ships to Move to where the Imperieuse was lyh g, and follow. the direClions of Lord Cochrane. At half paSt three o'clock, the prisoners being arrived frOM the AqUiTon and Ville de Varsovie, and the water, at that time up to their orlop decks,. I ordered theta to be set on fire, and at day-li g h t I weighed, in o!e -(hence to a signal from Admiral Stopford, and pro ceeded to Basque Roads. Q. Was not the Valiant, and were not some of the . other ships that were aground, in a very perilous situation 'r —A. The Valiant was in a very perilous Situation ; and nothing but the wind shifting, and blowing direaly out saved her from being wrecked. Q. State' the enemy's ships that were destroyed, as well :a§ those rendered . unfit - for service.—There were feel - of the French ships destroyed. I think the others must have been considerably datnaeed, excepting two; from being on shore. Q. What is your opinion of the position taken by Captain Kerre of the Revenge It is impossible that a ship could he better placed than the Revenge, , and indeed the general - condue - t of the Revenge on that day refle&s the highest credit on the zeal and bravery of her Captain. Q. Did the Revenge go within the Imperieuse and otherleigates and relieve 'them from the fire of the batteries,' as well as from the enemy's ships A. She anchored the northernmost and eastern most ship, about three cables' length within the ImperieUse, and appeared to me to draw the fire of the batteries of the Isle d'Aix fiorn the frigatei to her; the fire from the enemy's ships throughout, from their helpless situation, was very slack, and I never thought it was an object to be protealed 'from it. Q. You have stated that the Revenge was veti judiciously placed, and you have described the col,- duet of that ship as having been highly meritorious on the occasion ; were nut the other ships and ves~ sels' engaged with the enemy, placed as advantage.= ously as they could have been, according as pecu liar circumstances existed 3 and did it not appear to you, that the Captains and Commanders of them condueled themselves with equal zeal for the pub:. lic service ?—A. The utmost zeal was manifested by every ship engaged ; I think it impossible they could be - better placed for the destruction of the ene my 's ships than they were. The Court here adjourned till to.morro* morn ing at nine o'clock. • Yesterday morning Mary Moore, an elderly wo‘ man, decently attired, endeavoured to intrude her - • self into the Palace. On being questioned resped ing her business, it evidently appeared she was de. ranged in her mind. She said she came to advise with the King on the necessity of making peace that she had many things to communicate, and among the rest, that she had brought her pepper box with her (which she produced), and it being quite empty, she hoped His MAJESTY would fill it. Several of the attendants present recolle&ed having seen her there before ; but, as she became very noisy and troublesome, and could not be prevailed upon to depart quietly, she was at length given in charge ofSayers,.the Police Officer, who carried her before the Sitting Magistrate, and he being convinced of her insanity, ordered proper care to be, taken oilier, until the business could be further Investigated. Among the whimsical undertakings of the age may be classed that of a Colonel of Dragoons, - who, fora bet to a considerable amount, is to walk fi - (..);1! Chichester to Harrowgate, a distance of 52a and not to expend more than three pounds. He passed through Guildford last Friday. . BR' ITISH NAVY.—The Monthly List which reachcs to.this day, gives the total of our force at sea, as -follows :-64 sail of the line,' 13 fifties and forty, fours, 106 frigates, 83 sloops of war and yachts, fivd bombs and fire-ships, 67 brigs, 10 cutters, t.. 9 schooners.—Total, 433. Ships in commission, 163 sail of the line, 23 fifties and forty-fours, 17s fri gates, 175 sloops and yachts, to bombs and fire ships, 164 brigs, 42 cutters, 106 schooners.--Totat gve. The grand . total, which includes the ships in port and fitting, thwe building and in ordinary, and guard, prison, and receiving ships, states th e v es .i. sell of the line, at OR, fifties and forty•fours, at 37, frigates at 260, sloops and yachts ssti, bombs and fire-ships 36, brigs 191, cutters 42, schooners, &c. 118.—Grand" total, 1218. BOXERS.—The long depending match betwixt the veteran boxers George Maddox and Richman the black, has at length been settled, and the par.= ties will fight for a stake of one hundred guineas on Friday se'nnight. The amateurs look for the day as one of considerable amusement, the veteran Hein; a tough professor of the old school, not easy to m copterec!, and Richman is a scientific f.e,hter . th 4 day, and a better giver than a taker.